Simon Sez
Simon Birch IS ABOUT GREATNESS IN SMALL MEN
By
LUCIO VICTOR JR., MD
 Life for an oddball can be tough. More so if the person happens to bear a congenital anomaly that is outward and physical-enough for the whole world to see. What can make the situation totally unbearable is when society (and even family) would deal with the disfigurement with loathing and contempt. Asking people to be more sensitive to and understanding of the plight of these marginalized individuals is usually met with much disdain.
In recent years, media have been awash with stories of people with physical anomalies rising above their disability and making something out of themselves. Newspapers, magazines, and television shows have endlessly featured the occasional disabled achiever-a blind woman graduating cum laude, deaf painter, mute concert pianist, etc.-and celebrate their accomplishments. But behind the gloss of the feature story lies the realization that there are others like them who are not able to break the barriers that hold them back, even in developed countries where some form of social support for the disabled and physically aberrant exists.
Many people born differently learn early in life that their incapacity is a limitation they have to live with. For many this complicates the way they perform their daily activities and somehow makes the process of finding meaning and purpose in life much harder. Such is the story in the movie Simon Birch.
Special Child
Based loosely on the John Irving novel A Prayer for Owen Meany, Simon Birch is set in Gravestown, Maine in 1964 and recounts the story of 12-year-old Simon (Ian Michael Smith) who was born about the size of a man's palm. Despite doctors predicting he would not live through the day, much less last the week, Simon eventually grew up-with a physical anomaly. He remained small for his age with a slight hump on his back and a characteristic pinched nasal voice typical of children born with Morquio Syndrome, a relatively rare disease within a spectrum of genetic-metabolic disorders known as Mucopolysaccharidoses. It is because of this anomaly that Simon gets treated by virtually the whole town (even by his own folks) like a pariah.
Despite Simon's outward freakishness, he develops a bond with another 12-year-old outcast, Joseph Wentworth (Joseph Mazzello, Jurassic Park), whose claim to shame is being born without a father. For the two, living in the small town and being looked on as different served both as a challenge and a letdown. For Simon, the challenge was to prove to people that God had divine plans for him and that he would not be the way he is if not for a holier purpose. For Joseph the challenge was to prove to people that he did have a father somewhere who cared for him dearly despite the absence. This would later prove to be a source of minor conflict between Joe and his mom Rebecca (Ashley Judd, High Crimes, Kiss the Girls) when she refuses to reveal the true identity of his father and finds a new love interest in the academic Ben Goodrich (Oliver Platt, Flatliners, Don't Say a Word).
The Hand of Fate
As the story progresses, one sees how Judd's character mesmerizes the whole town as the beautiful and charming Rebecca who, despite falling from grace (for giving birth out of wedlock), remains warm and unmoved by people's perceptions of her supposed loose morals. She shows her character's memorable traits by serving as a surrogate parent to Simon whose own parents (Holly Dennison and Peter MacNeill) would prefer to lock him up in the attic and hide him from the rest of the world.
Though short, somewhat frail, and bullied around, Simon stands up for himself even against the judgmental town preacher Reverend Russell (David Straithairn) whose opinions and ideas he challenges during Sunday services. Simon also shows wisdom beyond his years especially when he gives advice to Joseph, one of which is to open his heart to Ben while not letting the desire to know his father fizzle out.
The friendship of Simon and Joseph is put to the test when during a baseball game Simon bats the ball way out of the field and on to Rebecca's head-killing her instantly. However, with the death of Joseph's mother the friendship of the two remains and this makes Simon "realize" that his goal in life would be to help Joseph find out who his real father is.
With Joseph now motherless and living in the care of his ageing and aristocratic grandmother (Dana Ivey), his only source of direction is his friendship with Simon and his growing bond with Ben who eventually becomes his legal guardian. The story climaxes into a series of revelations and events that seal the fate of all the characters in the film and make a town hero out of the most unlikely people in the eye of a catastrophe.
Mincing the Plot
Simon Birch is a movie that meanders along with subplots nicely woven into the storyline to give the viewers a sense of reality. Characters are offbeat but strong and resilient to pivotal life-changing events. Although the film did not give any medical explanation for the illness of Simon, it did not come up with scenes that tested a physician's patience common in many Hollywood blockbusters like talking intubated patients or lengthy dramatic speeches by weak dying characters.
For an untested newcomer, Ian Michael Smith gives a powerful performance as the ebullient and loyal Simon. Joseph Mazzello, the fatherless Joseph, packs some punch in the movie with his tempered delivery of emotions. Ashley Judd's impressive performance as the foxy, down-to-earth single mother, though short-lived, is very convincing and absolutely real. Platt and Straithairn bolster the movie's A-list of actors by giving dimension and definition to their supporting roles. Straithairn is credible as the dry, opinionated, and anticlimactic foil character against Platt's rather jovial, personable, and dependable personality.
The cast includes Dana Ivey as Mazzello's aristocratic grandmother; Beatrice Winde as their house servant Hilde Grove; and Holly Dennison and Peter MacNeill as Simon's cold and uncaring parents. Cameo appearances at the beginning and end of the film are charmingly played by John Mazzello as Simon Wentworth (Joseph's son) and Jim Carey as adult Joseph Wentworth.
Mark Steven Johnson crafts a well-written script that explodes with witty rebuttals between Simon and the Rev. Russell, and contains emotional, thwarting scenes between Simon and Joseph, Joseph and his mother, and Joseph and Ben. The climax although not action-packed still induces enough catecholamine release to cause a little viewer palpitation. The ending, although somewhat predictable, keeps one wanting to sit still to the finish.
In all, Simon Birch is a wholesome family film that, though lacking in blockbuster charisma and cinematic pizzazz, entertains and leaves its viewers feeling good and with a sense of satisfaction.
SIMON BIRCH
HOLLYWOOD PICTURES
DIRECTION AND SCREENPLAY BY MARK STEVEN JOHNSON
BASED ON THE NOVEL A PRAYER FOR OWEN MEANY BY JOHN IRVING
113 MINUTES RUNTIME
PG RATING
1998 US RELEASE
Cast: Ian Michael Smith (Simon Birch), Joseph Mazzello (Joseph Wentworth), Ashley Judd (Rebecca Wentworth), Oliver Platt (Ben Goodrich), David Strathairn (Rev. Russell), Dana Ivey (Grandmother Wentworth), Beatrice Winde (Hilde Grove), Holly Dennison (Mrs. Birch), Peter MacNeill (Mr. Birch), John Mazzello (Simon Wentworth), Jim Carey (Adult Joseph Wentworth)
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